Fertilizer Lot Blaze Remains under Investigation

ATHENS — Authorities continue to investigate a fertilizer fire at an Athens farm supply after announcing that the location is being treated as a crime scene. Meanwhile, according to KETK, city officials moved forward with local activities at another location after a slight delay. Staffers at the East Texas Arboretum said opening activities Friday at the Fiddlers Reunion “Jam Session” were moved to the Arboretum, with festivities returning to the downtown square at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

According to Athens Fire Chief John McQueary, the owner of the facility left at around 5:15 p.m. Thursday and about 30 minutes later, a large fire broke out at the East Texas Ag Supply fertilizer facility, in the 100 Block of Larkin Street. The Athens Fire Department ordered an initial evacuation of three blocks and set up a command post. The radius was then expanded to five blocks and later upped to 15. As of Friday morning, the evacuation area had been decreased to five blocks, and to one block Friday afternoon. This was due to smoke still in the area. Several agencies have been working together to attempt to demolish the facility and rid the area of smoke.

McQueary says the evacuations were put in place because the “magnitude of the fire deemed it a necessity.” The chief also said addressing the multi-fatality explosion in West, Texas in April 2013 helped the facility avoid a worse tragedy because firefighters were trained on how to deal with ammonium nitrate. Due to that, said the chief, they avoided a larger catastrophe by letting the 70 tons of ammonium nitrate burn itself out and avoided dousing the flames with water. McQueary added that the facility also housed 100,000 pounds of potash. The Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality have determined there is little to no toxicity in the atmosphere but will continue to monitor the situation, according to McQueary. No cause has been determined at this time.

In a 2 p.m. Friday press conference, McQueary said the fire was labeled as “suspicious” after more than half the building was on fire with flames shooting through the roof. To label a fire of this nature suspicious is common protocol, according to the chief. McQueary also stated investigators believe an ample amount of ventilation assisted in keeping the fire from exploding but they are still looking into all the mitigating factors. Officials are asking the public to turn over any media of the fire they may possess to help the investigation.